The following description is provided to assist the understanding of the reader. None of the information provided or references cited is admitted to be prior art to the present invention.
Heart failure is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide. In the United States, it affects nearly 5 million people and is the only major cardiovascular disorder on the rise. It is estimated that 400,000 to 700,000 new cases of heart failure are diagnosed each year in the U.S. and the number of deaths in the U.S. attributable to this condition has more than doubled since 1979, currently averaging 250,000 annually. Although heart failure affects people of all ages, the risk of heart failure increases with age and is most common among older people. Accordingly, the number of people living with heart failure is expected to increase significantly as the elderly population grows over the next few decades. The causes of heart failure have been linked to various disorders including coronary artery disease, atherosclerosis, past myocardial infarction, hypertension, abnormal heart valves, cardiomyopathy or myocarditis, congenital heart disease, severe lung disease, diabetes, severe anemia, hyperthyroidism, arrhythmia or dysrhythmia.
Multiple forms of heart failure are associated with defects in remodeling of the mitochondrial phospholipid cardiolipin, including genetic and sporadic forms of heart failure. Defects in cardiolipin remodeling thus serve as a diagnostic marker for heart failure, which may be monitored via the presence or level of cardiolipin isoforms present in a subject, and/or the presence or level of enzymes involved in cardiolipin remodeling.